Summary
Inflammation is a primary pathogenic pathway in a wide range of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and neuropsychiatric disorders. To study the effect of compounds that target inflammatory pathways in the early phases of drug development, CHDR has developed a series of in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro tools to induce inflammation in healthy subjects and cells. These tools – known as LPS (lipopolysaccharide) challenges – provide researchers with a robust and safe way to test anti-inflammatory compounds under controlled conditions, before moving on to testing in patients.
How it works
In the ex vivo challenge, the test compound is administered to the subject, after which blood is drawn and stimulated with the LPS challenge as described above.
In the in vivo challenge, healthy volunteers receive a safe dose of intravenous LPS to induce a mild systemic inflammatory response, or intradermal LPS to induce a mild local inflammatory response, that is monitored carefully. The effect of the test compound is then measured in the subjects.
